A smoking cowboy on horseback in Woensel West, the Sang Lee Superstore and the seclusion of a Japanese tea-ceremony on the Aalsterweg.
A new feature of the programme of ACE involves commissioning young photographers to visualise their views on Eindhoven. In the years to come, the city is going to be confronted with radical changes. The most ambitious plans are boasting of (finally) giving Eindhoven a heart, of altering social structures, of neighbourhoods changing colour. But what is Eindhoven? Three photographers were asked to photograph the city from their own perception. Aiming at gaining insight in the (social) structures of the city, they zoom in on the city itself, the neighbourhood and the families. The first three photographers who were asked to give form and content to this assignment are Dieuwertje Komen, Ingeborg Moerkerken and Paul Peters.

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The assignment: Woensel-West in relation to Strijp S
Dieuwertje Komen (Schaijk 1979, lives and works in Rotterdam)
Dieuwertje Komen photographs Woensel-West, an area directly abutting on the railway, next to the future residential area Strijp S. The neighbourhood is a sort of mishmash; one might euphemistically say that it has the potential of becoming the Soho of Eindhoven (or perhaps it already is?). Young families take up residence here because the houses are relatively large and affordable, but they move to different areas when their children have to go to school. This is the neighbourhood of artists, street barbecues, drug dealers hustle and a red-light street … Komen registers the neighbourhood with a sharp eye for detail.

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The assignment: Three families in Eindhoven
Ingeborg Moerkerken (Papendrecht 1975, lives and works in Nijmegen)
Ingeborg Moerkerken did her graduation project (2001) in Lithuania where she photographed everyday (family) life, following in the footsteps of photographers such as Bertien van Manen. She portrays family relations, friendships, irritations, neighbourly help, beautiful young girls, with their whole life still ahead of them. Her lengthy stay in Lithuania and the fact that eventually she herself became a member of this community has resulted in an intimate representation. Moerkerken photographed the everyday lives of three families in Eindhoven, images which are so common that they would never be included in a book of photos; she calls these the images of unconscious time, the opposites of the highlights of family life abounding in family photo books.

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The assignment: The most beautiful city in the Netherlands
Paul Peters (Kranenburg 1971, lives and works in Eindhoven)
Paul Peters is an architect but in the past couple of years he has more and more often applied himself to photographing the built-up environment. He regards the terms beautiful or unsightly as broad and often rather meaningless qualifications. After all, the beauty of a certain location or building is largely inspired by the perception of the spectator; visual aspects are no more than a minor part of this perception. The perception of the beauty of a city is often determined by the presence of a historic city centre (authentic or not). Concepts such as contemporary, industrial, modern, commercial or large-scale are too often associated with the notion unsightly.
Peters photographs seemingly uneventful spots; so uneventful in fact that nobody takes time to consider whether they are beautiful or unsightly. These spots are restored to their former beauty by taking them out of their nondescript context or by meticulously photographing them.

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On the occasion of Afslag Eindhoven/Exit Eindhoven, a deluxe edition of ACEnieuws will appear with photographs by the photographers and texts by Bernard Hulsman, Josephine van Bennekom, Herman Kerkdijk. Order from ACE ace@mu.nl

MU artspace, located in Eindhoven, zooms in on the hybrid visual culture of now and later. MU is an adventurous guide to all art lovers with a keen interest in the energetic mix of art, design, popculture and new media.

MU artspace, located in Eindhoven, zooms in on the hybrid visual culture of now and later. MU is an adventurous guide to all art lovers with a keen interest in the energetic mix of art, design, popculture and new media.

MU artspace, located in Eindhoven, zooms in on the hybrid visual culture of now and later. MU is an adventurous guide to all art lovers with a keen interest in the energetic mix of art, design, popculture and new media.

MU artspace, located in Eindhoven, zooms in on the hybrid visual culture of now and later. MU is an adventurous guide to all art lovers with a keen interest in the energetic mix of art, design, popculture and new media.